1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of boat and dock equipment. More specifically the present invention relates to a buoyant bumper apparatus for mounting to a piling such as along a dock, the apparatus having a bumper assembly which buoyantly rises and falls with the tide and thus with any adjacent water vessel such as a boat so that the bumper is always positioned between the piling and the contacting portion of the vessel. The bumper apparatus includes a roller rack for mounting vertically along a piling with rack fasteners, and a shock absorbing bumper assembly having a float at its lower end and slidably engaging the roller rack with a rack engaging structure.
The roller rack preferably includes a spaced apart upright pair of opposing first and second mounting rails and a longitudinal series of horizontal cylindrical rollers mounted on individual roller axles extending between and connected to the first and second mounting rails so that the rollers protrude forwardly from the rails. The first and second mounting rails preferably are opposing first and second channel side walls of a rack channel member which are interconnected by a channel back wall, the channel side walls having laterally extending first and second rail flanges extending outwardly respectively from the first and second channel side walls. The rail flanges are part of the rack engaging structure.
The bumper assembly preferably includes a vertically elongate bumper block of rubber or equivalent impact absorbing material preferably containing air bubbles and having first and second block guides on opposing longitudinal sides of the bumper block for slidably engaging the first and second rail flanges. Each block guide preferably has an L-shaped cross-section with a guide side panel abutting and fastened to a corresponding longitudinal side of the bumper block and extends beyond the bumper block toward the roller rack, and has a guide flange angling inwardly from the guide side panel toward the opposing guide flange and spaced from the bumper block. The first and second guide flanges are fitted behind corresponding first and second rail flanges so that the guide flanges hold the bumper block against the rollers while permitting the bumper block to slide vertically along the roller rack. A float of buoyant material or of hollow construction is secured to the bumper block lower end and has sufficient buoyancy to cause the bumper assembly to rise and fall with the tidal height of the water around the piling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been fixed resilient bumpers on pilings along docks to absorb the impact of boats bumping the docks as a result of wave action or maneuvering into and out of docking position. A problem with these prior bumpers has been that, as the tide rises or falls, the part of the boat striking the piling may be elevated or lowered out of alignment with the bumper so that the boat strikes the piling directly and is damaged.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a buoyant bumper apparatus having a bumper assembly which rises and falls with the tides and thus with a moored water vessel, to be continuously positioned between a contacting portion of the vessel and a piling or other dock structure to absorb vessel impacts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which has a resilient impact absorbing bumper block which can be removed and replaced when needed without removal of the entire apparatus.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is easy to install and which fits a variety of piling sizes and which can be secured to a variety of other dock structures as well.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is sturdy, reliable and economical to manufacture.